Biographical and genealogical history of Appanoose and Monroe counties, Iowa
New York, Chicago: Lewis publishing Co., S. Thompson Lewis, editor. 1903
Transcribed by Renee Rimmert. A complete copy of this book is available on-line at archive.org.
Stickney - Sw
WILLIAM C. STICKNEY - Prominent among the energetic, far-seeing and successful business men of this portion of Iowa is William C. Stickney. His life history most happily illustrates what may be attained by faithful and continued effort in carrying out an honest purpose. Integrity, activity and energy have been the crowning points of his success, and his connection with the various business enterprises has been a decided advantage to Appanoose county. He is now the popular cashier of the First National Bank of Moulton.
Mr. Stickney was born in Prince Edward county, Ontario, Canada, on the 8th of June, 1842, and his parents were Walter H. and Phebe (Christy) Stickney. He comes from one of the oldest families of England. The line of descent can be traced back to William Stickney, a native of England, who in the seventeenth century left his own country and crossed the broad Atlantic, settling in Rowley, Massachusetts. His descendants are now numerous and are widely scattered throughout the country. Mr. Stickney of this review being in the eighth generation in America. John Stickney, the paternal grand- father, was born in Massachusetts, and after acquiring his literary education took up the study of medicine and became a physician. When a young man he went to Canada and was there married to Rebecca Barker, a native of Saratoga county, New York, and a descendant of an old New England family. Among their children was Walter H. Stickney. He was born and reared within twenty miles of the birthplace of his son William, and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded Phebe Christy, also a native of the same locality, and a daughter of William Christy, who was born in Scotland, whence he came to America alone at the age of seventeen years. He first lived in Philadelphia, but later took up his abode in Canada. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Ruth Bull, was a native of Dutchess county, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Stickney spent their lives in Prince Edward county, Canada. There the former followed farming and was one of the enterprising and progressive agriculturists of his community. Both he and his wife were followers of the Quaker church, and in their family were eight sons and two daughters. Three of the brothers are now deceased, and one brother is living in Canada, another in New York, and two in East St. Louis, Illinois. The sisters are still residents of Canada.
William C. Stickney was reared upon his father's farm in Canada, and at the usual age entered the district schools, acquiring a fair English education. His training at farm work was not meager, and he continued to assist his father in the development and improvement of the home place until twenty-three years of age. After spending one year in New York he came to the west and for a year resided in Illinois. In 1870 he arrived in Iowa, settling in Butler county, where for two years he was engaged in farming, and during that time he was married. He then returned to Canada and spent six years on the old home, devoting his energies to agricultural pursuits. On the expiration of that period he again came to Iowa, settling in Franklin county, of which he was a resident for six years. He followed merchandising at Hampton with a fair degree of success, and in 1885 he turned his attention to the banking business at Sheffield, accepting the position of assistant cashier. In 1887 he came to Moulton, where he was first cashier of the Moulton Bank and later cashier in Bradley's Bank. Upon the organization of the First National Bank in 1900, he was chosen its cashier, and has since occupied the position. His comprehensive knowledge of the banking business, his close application, his unfailing courtesy and his popularity have contributed in a very material degree to the success of the institution.
In 1870 Mr. Stickney was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Coble, who was born in Wisconsin, and they now have four children: Edwin L., who is assistant cashier in the First National Bank; Russell, who is in Los Angeles, California; Walter, a student of the State University of Colorado; and Edna, at home. Mr. Stickney is a stalwart Republican, and socially is a Master Mason, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. He has made an untarnished record and an unspotted reputation as a business man, and in all places and under all circumstances he is loyal to truth, honor and right, justly valuing his own self-respect as infinitely more desirable than wealth, fame and position. In those finer traits of character which combine to form that which we term friendship, which endear and attach man to man in bonds which nothing but the stain of dishonor can sever, which triumph and shine brighter in the hour of adversity - in those qualities he is richly endowed.
JAMES L. STONE , who was the father of the subject of this brief biography, was born in the state of Connecticut, August 27, 1809, and died in August, 1895, having a long and useful life to his credit. He left home at the age of sixteen and went to Elizabethtown, New Jersey, where he earned a livelihood by peddling tinware. At that place he also met the lady who became his wife, Miss Eliza Ann Wilcox. She was born in New Jersey on December 29, 1812, and died July 23, 1871. After their marriage they went to Ashtabula county, Ohio, and settled on a one hundred acre tract of timber land given to them by Mrs. Stone's father. Mr. Stone followed farming the rest of his life. In 1857 he came to Iowa with his wife and children and located on a farm in Appanoose county, where he and his wife remained until called away by death. Of the seven children born to them five are yet living: J. J. Stone, of Mystic, Iowa; Alfred Stone, of Centerville; Albertus Stone, who resides in Kansas; Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Powers, of Chicago; and James L. Stone.
James L. Stone was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, June 6, 1835, and at an early age learned the art of husbandry upon the farm of his father, with whom he came to Iowa in 1857. When twenty years of age he was married, on February 4, 1855, his wife being Miss Ximena Dodge, and the ceremony being performed just across the Pennsylvania line. Miss Dodge was born in Ashtabula county, June 4, 1839. Cyrus and Susan (Thomas) Dodge, her parents, were natives of Ohio, the former dying when the daughter Ximena was small, and the latter, who was born in 1818, passing away in 1877. The only son of these parents was killed in the Civil war. To Mr. and Mrs. Stone were born eleven children, and nine of these are still living and occupy honorable places in society : Almeron J. Stone resides at St. Joseph. Missouri; Frank L. is in South Dakota; James N. lives at Beatrice, Nebraska; Mrs. Flora Rigsby is in Kansas; Aurelius conducts a store in Plano; Mrs. Alice Benson resides in Kansas; Charles W. has his home in St. Joseph, Missouri; W. Byrd lives at Plano; and Clyde resides in St. Joseph.
The outbreak of the Civil war threw all the plans of domestic comfort and material happiness into confusion, and with the other loyal citizens Mr. Stone offered his services, being enrolled, in 1862, in Company I, Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry, and he followed the flag till the close of the struggle; most of his service was spent in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. At the battle of Saline River he was taken prisoner and endured ten months of confinement in the southern prison at Tyler, Texas. With the exception of this period spent in the service of his country Mr. Stone has followed farming the greater part of his active life and met with excellent returns, so much so that in 1897 he retired from the farm and now makes his home in Plano, where he and his wife enjoy the fruits of their former toil. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he and his wife are actively connected with the Methodist church. The record of such a life is full of encouragement, and among the names of men who have been marked for their consistent efforts in the upbuilding of the life of every community must be placed that of James L. Stone.
JOHN J. STONE - All the states of the Union have contributed to the population of Iowa, but perhaps none have sent a more generous stream than Ohio. Much of this, too, may be said to have been by "infiltration" rather than direct contribution, that is, the immigrants first came to Ohio from the east or south and later moved farther west. Included in this class was James M. Stone, whose father was one of three brothers who emigrated from England to the United States in the latter part of the eighteenth century and made their subsequent homes in Connecticut. James married Ann Eliza Wilcox, a native of New Jersey, of German descent, and with her joined the tide of emigration to Ohio, where they lived for a number of years, and in 1858 came to Iowa. He bought a home in Johns township, Appanoose county, which he cultivated for a livelihood during the remainder of his days. His wife died in 1871 in the fifty- eighth year of her age and his own life was terminated by death in 1898 when eighty-seven years old. They were both members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their children consisted of five boys and two girls.
John J. Stone, one of his father's five sons, was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, February 4, 1842, and was about sixteen years old when brought to Iowa by his parents. There was nothing out of the ordinary either in his rearing or his schooling, the first notable event in his career occurring in September, 1861, when he became a soldier of the Union for service in the Civil war. His enlistment was in a company that had been raised in Johns township, but as Iowa's quota of seventy- five thousand men under the President's call was already full it could not be accepted by the governor of that state. They had better success, however, with the chief executive of Kansas, who had them enrolled as a company in the Fifth Regiment, Kansas Cavalry. They were mustered in without delay and Mr. Stone served altogether for more than three years and three months, part of the time with Harvey's Company from Iowa and later by transfer as a member of Company H (Thompson's), Fifth Regiment, Kansas Cavalry. Besides numerous skirmishes Mr. Stone took part in the more serious engagements at Helena, Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Yazoo Pass, and when mustered out in 1865 had reached the rank of corporal. After returning from the army he purchased a farm in Johns township and cultivated it for a livelihood until 1880, when he engaged in merchandising at Plano. Thirteen years later he located at Mystic, and this proved to be his final move, as he has ever since been one of the active commercial spirits of the town, the firm name at the present being J. J. Stone & Son. He has been quite successful in business and his entire career, both in war and peace, has been creditable to him as a man and citizen.
In 1865 Mr. Stone was married to Sarah E. Cole, by whom he has five children: Zena M., James M., Celia E., Albertus and Arthur, all married except the last and all four of the sons merchants. Mr. Stone's political preferences are for the Republican party, but his office-holding has been confined to two terms as mayor of Mystic and eight years as justice of the peace in Johns township. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for twenty-five years, and by virtue of his honorable military services is an esteemed comrade of Centerville Post, G. A. R.
 George W. Streepy |
GEORGE W. STREEPY - It is now our privilege to record briefly the life history of a man who has served his country as a soldier in defense of the Union, and in the peaceful pursuits of an agricultural life has gained as great victories as on the battlefield and is now able to look back on a life of well spent activity. His father was Edward Streepy, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1801 and died in 1895, aged ninety-four years; his mother was a native of Davis county, Indiana; was born in 1806 and died in 1847; her maiden name was Delilah Freeland and she was married in Davis county. Edward Streepy was brought to Washington county, Indiana, when he was thirteen years old; by occupation he was a farmer and followed this calling all his life. After the death of his wife he remained in Davis county until 1850 and then went to what is known as the North River Bottom in Indiana, where he carried on his farming operations for four years; in 1854 he sold out and came to Iowa, locating near Unionville in Appanoose county, where he spent the remainder of his days. |
George W. Streepy, the son of the above parents, came into the world in Davis county, Indiana, February 6, 1833, and spent the days of his youth much after the manner of all boys who are reared under the invigorating influences of the farm. In 1850 he settled in Davis county, Iowa, but remained there only one year and then came to Appanoose county, where he has since made his home. When the lurid glow of civil strife lit up the land his spirit was aroused to defense of the Union and in 1863 he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry; on account of an injury to his left leg he served most of the time in the commissary department. With the exception of this period spent in the service of his country and three years which he devoted to mercantile pursuits at Iconium, Mr. Streepy has engaged in tilling the soil all his life, and he has met with most encouraging success. He has three hundred and fifty-five acres all in one body on his place; a fine and valuable farm.
In 1856 Mr. Streepy was married to Lucy Elizabeth Dean and three children were born: Dedetta A., who is now Mrs. Edward White; and the two deceased are Alice and Baxter. Mrs. Streepy died in 1862. In 1866 he was again married, his second wife being Mary Reprogle, who died August 27, 1875; she left one child, Mrs. Mary E. Harvey, of Centerville. For his third wife Mr. Streepy chose, on March 16, 1876, Miss Margaret J. Cafferty, who is now living and is the mother of three children: C. E. Streepy, Zelma E. Streepy and George W. Streepy, Jr. Mr. Streepy recalls the days of the Civil war by his membership with the Grand Army of the Republic. He casts his vote for the Republican party, and in the public affairs of the county has been a member of the county board of supervisors for one term and has filled numerous township offices. He has been one of the prominent members of the Methodist church and a few years ago donated the ground, directly across the road from his home west of Cincinnati, upon which has been erected a substantial house of worship; the only condition affixed to this gift was that the church should be of no particular denomination, but open to all services held in the cause of religion. In this, as in many other ways, Mr. Streepy has shown his excellent common sense and his desire for general progress in the community. He may be truly designated as a man of character, one whose every act is in accord with his inmost principles of right and justice.
JOHN M. STURDIVANT, M. D. , who is engaged successfully in the practice of medicine and surgery in Cincinnati, receives a liberal patronage, which is the public tribute to his skill and ability. He also has the endorsement of his professional friends and commands respect and confidence wherever he goes. He was born in the town which is still his home, his natal day being January 14, 1866. His father, the late Dr. John M. Sturdivant. Sr., is represented on another page of this volume. The son remained a resident of Cincinnati until he was sixteen years of age, when his parents removed to Centerville, Iowa, and in the schools of the two towns he was educated, acquiring a good literary knowledge to serve as a foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning. He took up the study of medicine in his father's office and remained under his instruction for two years. On the expiration of that period he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa, and was graduated in that institution in March, 1887. He then located in Earlton, Kansas, where he practiced until June, 1890, when he returned to Centerville. At that time he became associated with his father, with whom he remained until the latter's death. He continued in practice in Centerville, however, until 1892, when he came to Cincinnati. This has since been his home, and he has enjoyed a large and growing practice, which has made constant demands upon his time, energies and attention. He is continually broadening his knowledge through reading and research and has also gained new ideas through the interchange of thought by his membership in the Putnam County (Missouri) Medical Society and of the Northeastern Missouri Medical Society.
In 1889 Dr. Sturdivant was united in marriage to Miss Allie Cannon, of Kansas, and they now have two sons, John M. and Byron Earl. Their home is celebrated for its gracious and pleasing hospitality, which is much enjoyed by their many friends. The Doctor is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and is a prominent Mason, having attained to the Knight Templar degree in that order. Entering a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and upon broad learning, he has gained a position of considerable distinction and well deserves mention among the representative citizens of his part of the state.
 John M. Sturdivant |
JOHN M. STURDIVANT. M. D. - A man who for many years held a leading place among the physicians of this county and seemed to be one of those gifted men who are successful in everything they undertake, was Dr. John M. Sturdivant. His father, Robert J., was a native of Tennessee, born in 1804; he removed to Indiana, but in 1836 came to Iowa and located on a farm in Harrisburg township, Van Buren county, where he lived for many years, and where he died, having become very wealthy. He married Anna Smithson, also a native of Tennessee and born in 1812, whose father was a native of France; she died when the subject of this article was only five years old, and Mr. Sturdivant married a second time. John M. came into the world on a farm in Van Buren county, Iowa, on the 3rd day of August, 1838, and ended his long and successful career in Centerville on the 7th of November, 1890, when he had lived to see his life's highest ideals and hopes realized. He passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, where the healthful influences of country life no doubt did much to shape his character. His education was received in the country schools, and he then attended college at Denmark and Galesburg. |
Having determined upon medicine for his profession he began his studies under Dr. O. George at Bonaparte, Iowa, and after practicing for a time in Bonaparte, he attended an eye, ear and throat infirmary at St. Louis; he then went to the Keokuk Medical College, where he was graduated in 1861. Coming to Appanoose county, he began his practice in Cincinnati, which he continued till 1882, when he came to Centerville. He had been one of the pioneers of the town of Cincinnati and was one of its first merchants. In the medical profession he was eminently successful and his patients over the county will long remember his kind offices.
In 1860 Dr. Sturdivant was married to Miss Elizabeth Wood; she was born in Carroll county, Ohio, in 1841, and was brought to Iowa in 1844 by her parents, Benjamin and Jane (Lowe) Wood, who settled in Van Buren county. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sturdivant: Laura M., who is the wife of T. F. Gault; Lawrence J., a prominent physician of Exline, Iowa; John M., also a physician, of Cincinnati; Anna Iowa, deceased; M. Gertrude, deceased; George W., who is a merchant of Centerville; B. Wayne, deceased; Carleton B., of Centerville; and Frank, of Centerville.
Dr. Sturdivant was a man of high moral character and with many qualities which endeared him not only to his immediate family but to the whole community, and thus his loss was deeply felt. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party, and he was prominent in the Masonic order. Mrs. Sturdivant is a faithful member of the Christian church and also of the Eastern Star. She is much esteemed in the city, not only on her husband's account, but for her own sweet and noble ways.
JESSE A. SWAN - In the earlier years of the nineteenth century there lived in the isolated mountain section of western Virginia a young man named Cornelius Sutton. He was born in Pendleton county, of poor parents, and was himself of the class who are compelled to earn their daily bread by the sweat of their brows. When still a mere lad, so great were the necessities of the family, that he was compelled to become a "bound boy," and spent many weary years of drudgery learning the tanner's trade. He mastered it, however, and when he became a journeyman went into the business regularly and followed it many years as a means of livelihood. In the course of time he felt able to take a wife, as, fortunately, poverty is no bar to matrimony, and his choice of a life companion fell upon one of the neighborhood girls named Ellen Johnson. Shortly after his marriage Cornelius decided to move to the nearby county of Harrison, where he changed from tanning to farming, and from that on to the end was engaged in agricultural pursuits. The exact date of his death is not given, but it is known that his good wife did not long survive him, and the two sleep side by side in a lonely cemetery of West Virginia. This worthy couple became the parents of eleven children, most of whom have long since passed away, there being at present only three survivors of this once large family. One of these is the well known farmer and citizen who now lives in retirement near Moulton, Iowa.
Jonas Sutton, one of the older children of his father Cornelius, was born in Highland county, West Virginia, January 11, 1832, and was reared to manhood on the farm to which the family removed in his infancy. Schools were few and far between in West Virginia in those days, and farmers' boys had little opportunity for what they called "book learning." Young Sutton, like the rest of them, got his education by the hard licks necessary to make rough land produce, and he learned early the stern but useful lesson that there is no success without labor. Jonas Sutton had reached his twenty-ninth year before he felt able to marry, but in 1860 was united in the holy bonds with Sarah Jane Robinson, one of the industrious and deserving young women of Harrison county. They remained in their native state during the whole period of the Civil war, though the Virginias at that time were not very desirable places of abode, and after the conflict was over, with its waste and ruin, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton wisely concluded that they could better their fortunes by moving far towards the setting sun. It was in 1865 that this journey was entered upon, and it did not conclude until Mr. Sutton and his wife "drew rein" in Appanoose county, Iowa. There they located on a tract of land which later became widely known as the old Sutton homestead, situated in the most desirable section of the county, in the southwest part of Moulton. The land was rich, Mr. Sutton was industrious and an excellent manager, Mrs. Sutton was a good housekeeper, and with these elements present the statement almost naturally follows that success and comfort and finally wealth waited upon the immigrants from Virginia. Between his fine crops and fine stock, both of which he raised in abundance, Mr. Sutton found himself in easier circumstances almost every year, and when finally he felt like retiring he had an elegant home in which to spend the evening of his days. He cultivated his farm from the time of his arrival until the fall of 1902, a period of thirty-seven years, and at the end of that time was the owner in fee simple, without mortgage or obligation of any kind, of three hundred and seventy-five acres of the finest land in Appanoose county. After the death of his good wife, however, which occurred in April, 1902, the old place looked lonely to Mr. Sutton, and the next fall he took up residence with his daughter, Mrs. Florence Peterson, at her hospitable home, two and one-quarter miles west of Moulton. Here he takes life easy, avoids worry of all sorts, and has a kind greeting for all friends, who are quite numerous, as Jonas Sutton is one of the popular as well as one of the substantial men of Appanoose county. Besides the daughter with whom he resides, his other children are G. W. Sutton, who lives five miles west of Moulton, and Mrs. Letta Swartz, whose residence is in the same neighborhood. Mr. Sutton has long been connected with the Methodist Episcopal church, and it is needless to add that his social and religious life is guided by the same moral bearing and regard for the well-being of others that have always characterized his conduct in business affairs.
JONAS SUTTON - To the superficial observer the lives of men possess a monotonous similarity and almost undeviating regularity, consisting of birth, a short period of active existence, and the end-all, death; but to the sympathetic student the life of every individual shows a thousand phases of interest, stamping every human being as an individual distinct from all his fellows; and, although space precludes an entering into the inner and real life of men, yet their outward acts are entertaining and indicative of the wide diversity in mankind. Among such men of Appanoose county as have made an impress on the life and institutions of the community is Jesse A. Swan.
Jesse A. Swan is the son of James N. and Mary (Maulding) Swan, and a native of Appanoose county, having been born here in the month of October, 1868. He was born on a farm and there spent his youth, receiving his education in the country schools. He lived on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age, and then purchased the J. J. Bland hardware store in Plano. He is now most successfully conducting this, in connection with a general store and the village post office. On May 23, 1901, Mrs. Swan was appointed postmistress, and she is now capably filling that position. Mr. Swan holds membership with the Modern Woodmen, and is otherwise prominently identified with the interests of the community. On June 1, 1891, Mr. Swan married Miss Minnie E. Elgin, and they have one son, Carl E., who was born March 10, 1892.
The parents of Mrs. Swan were John M. and Mary J. (Silknitter) Elgin. The former's place of nativity was at Martinsville, near Indianapolis, Indiana, and the latter was born near the same place, and when only eight years of age came west with her parents and located in the northern part of Appanoose county. Mr. Elgin also came to this county when a child. He was a farmer, an extensive stock dealer and for four years most capably performed the duties of sheriff of Appanoose county. He also served his country as a soldier in the Civil war. Mr. Elgin died April 1, 1900, but his wife still survives and resides in Centerville. To these parents were born seven children, and all but one are living: W. E. Elgin, Charles H. Elgin, Maude Elgin, Jennie Elgin, Fred Elgin, the last three being at home with their mother, and Minnie E., the wife of our subject, was born near Walnut City, Appanoose county, December 19, 1868.
C. V. SWARTS - When the tocsin of war sounded and the country needed and demanded the aid of all loyal citizens for the preservation of the Union, C. V. Swarts was among those who followed the nation's starry banner upon southern battlefields. He is now quietly following farming in Wells township, Appanoose county, where he has become the owner of one hundred and sixty-six acres of land, now well cultivated. He was born in Highland county Ohio, December 13, 1840, and is a son of Frederick and Phebe Ann (Fenner) Swarts, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Ohio. On the paternal side our subject is of German ancestry, and in the maternal line comes of English stock. His parents were married in Ohio and after the wedding ceremony was performed they began their domestic life upon a farm in Highland county, Ohio, living there until the spring of 1862, when they came to Iowa, making the journey by boat from Cincinnati to Keokuk, and thence across the country to Appanoose county. They settled in Wells township and throughout their remaining days the father carried on agricultural pursuits. He died in 1894 at the age of eighty-eight years, and his wife passed away about thirty years ago. Although he entered upon his business career a poor man he was a hard worker and success attended his efforts. His political views were in harmony with the principles of the Republican party and he was a staunch friend of progress, reform and improvement. Both he and his wife were earnest Christian people and all who knew them entertained for them the highest regard. In their family were six children: Wilson K., a resident farmer of Missouri; Julia A.; C. V., whose name introduces this review; Henry, Wesley, and W. Frank, all of whom are deceased. Wilson and C. V. were both soldiers of the Civil war. Upon the home farm in Ohio, Mr. Swarts of this review was reared and a common school education was afforded him. He was twenty-two years of age when he came to Iowa with his parents, and this state has since been his home. In May,1863, he offered his services to the government and was assigned to Company E, of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, with which he served as a private for about three years, being mustered out in 1866. He was always found at his post of duty whether it called him to the lonely picket line or into the midst of battle, and with a most creditable military record he returned to his home.
In the fall of the same year Mr. Swarts was united in marriage to Miss Dorcas Pulliam, a daughter of John and Rebecca Pulliam. They have eight children: Rosa, Emma, Charles, Lando, Alfred, William, Josie, and Claude. They also lost a little daughter in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Swarts began farming on his own account and has since carried on this pursuit with signal success. His farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres is now under a very high state of cultivation and is equipped with everything necessary for carrying on the work according to the modem and approved methods of the present time. In his political views he is a Republican, earnest in his advocacy of the party, and as a citizen he is to-day as true and loyal to his country as when he followed the old flag through the south.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN SWARTS , now deceased, was a respected citizen and enterprising farmer of Appanoose county, living in Wells township. He was born in Highland county, Ohio, on the 8th of September, 1850, and was the youngest of six children born to Frederick and Phebe Ann Swarts, of whom further mention is made on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of C. V. Swarts, now an enterprising farmer of Wells township.
William Franklin Swarts spent his early youth in the state of his nativity, being twelve years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Iowa. They took up their abode in Wells township and here he always made his home, assisting in the work of field and meadow through the summer months, while in the winter seasons he pursued his studies in the public schools. He was thus well equipped for life's practical duties. The occupation to which he was reared he made his life work and was well known as a man of marked industry and enterprise.
On the 23d of November,1879, Mr. Swarts was united in marriage to Miss Viola Maring, a daughter of Joseph Maring, a prominent resident of Wells township. To this union have been born five children, as follows: Lee Eddie; Bertha Jane, wife of James Myers, of Wells township; Lewis Burton, Henry Willard, and Carrie Belle. In his political views Mr. Swarts was an earnest Republican and his close study of the questions and issues of the day had led him to ally his forces with that party. His life was one of untiring industry, idleness and indolence being utterly foreign to his nature. His domestic tastes made his home to him the best place on earth, and he put forth every effort in his power to promote the welfare of his wife and children. In matters of business he was ever straightforward and reliable, and in friendship he was faithful, his many excellent qualities of heart and mind endearing him to those with whom he came in contact, and when he died, April 4, 1898, his loss throughout the community was widely felt, as well as in the household in which he was a loving husband and father.